Summer is coming up fast. (Like, insanely fast. It’s about 3 weeks until June.) And if you haven’t got a girls trip booked, but are looking for cheaper, more unique destinations – you’re in the right place.
1. For the girls trip with a bit of everything: Kotor, Montenegro
First – and my recommendation to literally anyone for a girls trip – is Montenegro. Specifically, Kotor and Ulcinj. Kotor has something for every group – whether you want the beaches, cheese and wine, mountain hikes, bars or historical churches. It’s a lot cheaper than most places in more well-known destinations like Italy and Spain and offers a rich introduction to Montenegro.
Ulcinj is even more of a hidden gem, and you’ll find a lot more locals going to Ulcinj. However in my opinion, Ulcinj has some of the best beaches in Montenegro. There’s also so much you can do from Ulcinj, such as riding to see the flamingos or hiking. Local buses are cheap and frequent between the two so you can easily do a day trip to Ulcinj if you can’t stay – or split your time if you can!
2. For the adventurous girls trip: Shkoder, Albania
I LOVE the mountains in Albania. I’ll be completely honest, the first time I visited Albania, I didn’t really see what all the hype was about. Then I went back to complete the Valbona-Theth Hike and completely changed my mind. If you want an adventurous trip featuring mountains, waterfalls, swimming, hiking and be able to spend some time in a city with very cheap happy (or crazy) hours – Albania is your perfect place for a girls trip.
I’d recommend flying into Tirana (you don’t need long in Tirana at all), possibly staying a night there then heading up to Shkoder. Although a lot of people use Shkoder simply as the way to access the hike, you can do quite a lot there – have a look at Why You Should Add Shkoder to Your Itinerary if you want some tips for swimming, restaurants etc! Then, stay at Wanderer’s hostel – book in advance with them and they will sort everything for you to be able to do the Hike. (All details on booking the hike are in my post on the hike linked above). This would be an amazing girls trip for those who don’t want a traditional beach holiday.
3. For the party vibes girls trip: Barcelona, Spain
Yeah, this is probably quite predictable. HOWEVER, I have been into some of the clubs in Barcelona and can attest to the fact that they do live up to the hype. Massively so. Plus, clubbing entry isn’t too much more than in other big party cities with beaches like Split. (Split, Croatia is another option if you fancy it. I personally prefer the Barcelona beaches, but Split does have a really nice historical old town.)
One thing to bear in mind if you’re going to Barcelona – there are huge problems with over tourism at the moment. I’m not saying don’t go, but look carefully at how you’re visiting (don’t use AirBnB if you can avoid it). It may also be worth having a bit of understanding about the over tourism problem if you go, and make sure to buy from local independent places rather than chains.
4. For the historical and foodie girls trip: Athens, Greece (OR Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina)
I know – two options. I like food. Let’s start with Athens. It goes without saying that there is SO much history there, gyros is amazing and I could actually live off of Tzatziki if I had the option. Athens is amazing, I loved the city and watching sunset over the Parthenon was a highlight of my summer last year. There is so much to see in Greece as a whole in terms of ancient history – I went on a bit of a trip last year to see the monasteries at Meteora and the Temple at Delphi before going to Athens. But Athens is a great place to start (and has an airport) – I know some people have mixed feelings on it but I loved it.
Okay next up is Mostar. You’ve probably seen photos of the famous bridge there – don’t advise jumping off it. More importantly, bosnian food is so good. Also (and I think I do this every time I mention the country) but if you end up in Mostar – go to the restaurant Tima Irma. You will not regret eating there, but you might not be able to finish the plate. Plus, all of the food is so much cheaper than Croatia.
There is also so much history to learn about in Bosnia. If you fly into, or start in, Sarajevo it’s also worth visiting the museums and having a look around the city there. I’ve also felt very safe travelling while I’ve been in Bosnia and Herzegovina – everyone is so friendly and when I got ill I was so well looked after by the woman whose room we were renting.
5. For the chilled out girls trip: Zadar, Croatia
Zadar is really under the radar as a trip destination. It has sun, sea (no sand – you jump off the pavements) and easy access to Croatia’s national parks. It’s also not nearly as expensive as Split or Dubrovnik. If you’re looking for cute sunsets listening to the sea organ, public transport to waterfalls and lakes and a really nice old town, Zadar is perfect for your trip.
You can go to all three national parks from Zadar on day trips – meaning that if you want to fill your days you will have 3 days national parks, a day exploring the city and however many days you want swimming in the sea. It’s a very chilled out vibe and I’d definitely go back to Zadar at some point for a sunny break
6. For the girls trip somewhere new: Ohrid, North Macedonia
Mentioning North Macedonia again – yes it really is just that good. Everyone I’ve been to Ohrid with hadn’t heard of it previously, and have now said they’re coming back. Ohrid is just amazing. I think both me and my best friend who I was travelling with would agree that the days we spent in Ohrid were probably our favourites of the whole trip. Think hiring boats for sunset with people you met 2 hours ago – hiking around fortresses in the mornings, sleeping on boats taking you to another beach in the afternoon.
Ohrid is just amazing – and it’s incredibly affordable too. I could keep waffling about how much of a great destination it is but I have already done that, so I’m just going to link that post here – Lake Ohrid: Activities, Accomodation and Recommendations.
